§ 45. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Prime Minister what savings have been effected to date by the cuts in Ministerial salaries; and for how long these cuts will be imposed.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Winston Churchill)The savings to Votes will be £28,000 in a full year, and amount to about £21,000 to date. As I announced on the 31st of October last, Ministers will draw reduced salaries for the period of re-armament or until October, 1954.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIs the Prime Minister aware that rather more than this hollow gesture will be required if he is to persuade the workers earning £5 10s. a week when they want more wages to meet the higher cost of living?
§ The Prime MinisterI am looking forward to seeing the hon. and gallant Gentleman make a gesture of which it can be said that it is at any rate not less hollow.
§ Mr. BevanIs the Prime Minister aware that far more than this reduction has already been cancelled by the increase in the staff of the Paymaster-General.
§ The Prime MinisterIt is not customary to include the staff of any Department or branch in the salary of the Minister. In this case the Minister does not draw any salary at all.
§ Mr. BevanIs the Prime Minister not aware that as a consequence of giving certain undefined duties to the Paymaster-General a considerable staff has been allotted to him, the cost of which more than exceeds any savings made on other Ministers?
§ The Prime MinisterThere is absolutely no relationship between the salaries paid to Ministers and the staffs of the various Departments of State which were so grossly and outrageously increased by the right hon. Gentleman.
§ Mr. WyattIs it not a fact that when Income Tax has been deducted the saving is relatively negligible, and would it not be more appropriate if at his time of life the Prime Minister abandoned these cheap demagogic gestures?
§ The Prime MinisterI think the hon. Member is a judge of cheap demagogic gestures, but they do not often come off when he makes them.
§ Mr. ShinwellIn view of the castigations of the right hon. Gentleman on the Members of the former Government, does he not realise that, even at the reduced salary, the Members of his Government are not worth it?
§ The Prime MinisterThe right hon. Gentleman is no doubt trying to live up to the cheap demagogic gestures mentioned by his hon. Friend.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIn view of the completely unsatisfactory nature of the reply I have had from the Prime Minister, I propose to raise this matter again at an early date.
§ Mr. WyattOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Could I ask the Financial Secretary to answer Question No. 80? If you remember, when this incident happened a fortnight ago, I asked your leave to ask a Private Notice Question and you were sympathetic although you felt that it might not necessarily be answered in that way. The public is much disquieted by this theft and, if the Question is not answered today, it cannot be answered until the autumn.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe initiative in these matters must come from the Minister. The hon. Member will have a written reply to his Question.